Let God be first! (3) by Pastor Faith Oyedepo

Author: Pastor Faith Oyedepo

Topic: Let God be first! (3)

Dear Reader,

I count it a great privilege to share few thoughts with you today. I told you in my first teaching that God’s help is all you need. I, also, showed you how your obedience to God and His Word in all that concerns you can guarantee your exemption from the troubles, woes and calamities that befall others, in our world today. Last week, I taught on God’s requirements for a fulfilled life.

Today, I want to discuss on: Ingratitude towards God. Many homes are where they are today because of ingratitude, murmuring and complaining. Perhaps you have tried many things, yet there seems to be no way out. Why not give thanks to God for keeping you alive and for the privilege of seeing this New Year? Many wish to be alive today, but they are not.

Murmuring cannot give you the solution or the answer you desire. If you murmur against God, who will bring you out of that situation? Surely, no man is reliable; it is only God Who is reliable. My husband once said, “You must stop protesting and then start praising God.” Another servant of God said, “When you stop appreciating God, you start depreciating in life.” You cannot enjoy God’s blessings in your family, if you are always complaining, murmuring and grumbling about issues in your home.

When you wake up in the morning and you only have garri to eat without meat, but I know that won’t be your portion this year, why not be grateful to God? You can say in the presence of your family members, “Lord, thank You for giving us what to eat even though there is no meat to add to this one today, we thank You for giving us the appetite to eat this food. Tomorrow, we know that You will add every other thing required.” Begin to make pronouncements of thanksgiving. Make it a lifestyle in your home. Let every member of your family know the essence of appreciating God. Let gratitude, praises and thanksgiving come from your hearts for what God has done so far for you.

If you wake up in the morning and there is no money in your pocket, I know that won’t be your portion; don’t murmur or complain. Rather, begin to praise God; that you are alive, means there is hope. Besides, God supernaturally supplies the needs of His people. A woman shared a testimony in church that she needed some money. Though the money was not physically available, yet she began to praise and worship God. Right there in the midst of the praises, somebody came knocking at her door. She opened to see a man, who handed her some amount of money, saying one of her sons from another country had sent it to her. The money was N15,000.00. God does fearful things in praises (Exodus 15:11).

Maybe, the dryness your family is going through now is because you have refused to give thanks and quality praise to the Almighty God. Praising Him is not a one day event. No! You have to make it a lifestyle. Perhaps you woke up in the morning, and there is no food in the store and nothing for the whole family to eat; what is your murmuring and complaining going to do? Will it bring the food? Why not look at the store and give God praise. That you have a store means food is on the way. In my place, there is a saying that there is nothing that happens in a man’s life that God will not leave a chance for praises. Thus, if you are praising God, you are simply saying, “Lord I know you are faithful; no matter what happens, You will provide an escape route.” That is the master key, if you desire to walk in the miraculous.

Don’t say: “This preacher doesn’t know what I am going through” or “You don’t know the situation that I have found myself in.” I want to tell you: whatever situation you are passing through now, try praise, and watch God act on your behalf. Know that out of every situation, there is always a reason to praise God.

Turn your home into a praise centre, a place where the praises of God dwell all the time. My husband often says, “There’s nothing you praise God for that reduces.” So, if you want increases, praise Him now! The Word of God says, Let the people praise thee. Oh God let all the people praise thee THEN shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us (Psalm 67:5-6).

When you turn your home into a praise centre, increases will come your way. When you give God praise, obstacles are turned to miracles. If there is no money in your pocket, still give God praise and as you do so, your earth will yield its increase.

There is so much for you and your family members this year.  However, you can’t receive God’s blessings with a complaining, ungrateful, murmuring, and an accusing heart. If you are offended in God, who will be defend you? You slept and woke up today, not because you are so strong and powerful, but because God watched over you, protecting you in the night and then woke you up in the morning. How fortunate you are!

Jesus Christ is our perfect example. He thanked God for five loaves and two fishes, and God multiplied these to feed 5,000 people. Why? It is because He knew that thanking God for what you have causes Him to multiply it miraculously. Thank God for that little money your husband has given you or for that job, no matter how low the salary is. If you are a child in the home, thank God for the little allowance you have, and ask God for wisdom to use it properly; so that it will meet all your needs. Remember, the Lord Jesus gave genuine thanks from His heart and five loaves, and two fishes were more than enough to feed 5,000 people. God sees your heart; He knows if you are truly thanking Him or whether you are just putting up a show. It is my prayer that your home will become a place of praise and thanksgiving, so that you can enjoy a never-ending supply of God’s provisions.

In addition, it is important to recognise that you don’t have what it takes to show gratitude to God until you surrender your life to Jesus Christ. That is what it means to be born again. If you want to be born again, say this prayer of faith: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).